Electric scooter pilot approved

Hundreds of electric scooters will soon be let loose in Christchurch.

They can be ridden on the footpath, without a helmet, and at speeds of up to 27kmh.

It is not clear if they can also be ridden on the road.

The Christchurch City Council yesterday approved a three-month pilot scheme allowing 700 shared electric scooters to be unleashed on city streets. Council staff have been given the go-ahead to issue a permit to United States bike and scooter share company Lime Technology to operate the e-scooters in the city. The trial is expected to start this month.

The scooters, which operate in more than 80 places around the world, will cost $1 to unlock and 30 cents per minute to use, or $18 an hour. Users find, unlock and pay for them using an app. The dockless system means people can leave them at their destination.

People will have to be at least 18 years old to use the scooters.

Mayor Lianne Dalziel said not having to wear a helmet was what she loved about the scooters.

‘‘All of the evidence shows that wearing a helmet puts you at far greater risk than not wearing a helmet and that is because people assume that if you are wearing a helmet you are safer than you are. I don’t feel the same way about children. I think children should wear helmets.

‘‘Let grown-ups be grown-ups. Let people take some risks but also have some fun.’’

She said the top speed of 27kmh was not the speed the scooters would normally be ridden at.

‘‘I just think it will take off and do really, really well.’’

Lime launcher Cameron Swanson told councillors safety was the company’s No 1 priority, but it was impractical to provide a helmet with every ride. The company would do occasional helmet giveaways.

The scooters are allowed on the footpath but there is some confusion over whether they are allowed on the road. The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) website states motorised scooters cannot be ridden on the road, but council staff said NZTA told them the scooters could be used on the road.

Councillor Sara Templeton, who abstained from voting, said she wanted legal clarity over where they could be used before approving the pilot.

‘‘I don’t want 700 scooters if they can only be used on footpaths.’’

Cr Mike Davidson, who also abstained, said having 700 scooters on the footpath or roads without helmets raised safety issues.

Cr Vicki Buck said the scheme was exactly what Christchurch should be welcoming with open arms.

‘‘It will work really well in Christchurch. I think this is fun.’’

The council will decide before the end of the trial whether to extend the permit and, if that happens, Lime will boost the number of scooters to 1500.

Cr Pauline Cotter said she did not think the numbers were going to be as problematic as people thought, because the scooters were going to be used from Southshore, Hornby, the airport and to Sumner.

‘‘They’re going to add vibrancy to Christchurch.’’

There is no cost to the council apart from staff time to monitor and evaluate the trial, but the council hoped to recoup most of the cost through charging for the permit, staff said.